The Kentucky Mental Health Manpower Commission believes that there are several methods of training and many degrees of utilization which should be carefully explored and comparatively evaluated to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each as a means of alleviating or minimizing the shortage of professional personnel in community mental health programs. The Commission is advancing the hypothesis that there are at least three identifiable levels of nonprofessionals who can be trained to perform some of the traditionally assigned duties and responsibilities of the professional staff and other services which are not currently being provided. Accordingly, the Commission is conducting a five-year community based mental health worker study designed to evaluate different levels of training and utilization for community mental health workers. There are three distinct methods for training these categories of personnel. Functions and responsibilities to be assigned to the three levels are being determined. Selection criteria have been identified and supervisory methods constructed. In conducting the study, the Commission will analyze and evaluate work performance and significant factors which contribute to the success or failure of the proposed levels of workers. The Community Mental Health Workers Demonstration Project's proposed contribution is unique in several ways. In addition to its comparative evaluation of several methods of training and using multiple levels of mental health workers, the project concentrates on community programs where staffing problems will become even more acute as time progresses. The proposed study will train and use indigenous community people who will be more inclined to remain in their area - thus attacking personnel problems of retention and migration.